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Garrison Keillor Plans to Leave the ‘Prairie’

Garrison Keillor, the longtime host of “A Prairie Home Companion” and arguably the biggest star in the world of public radio, told interviewers that he plans to retire in the spring of 2013 — maybe.

In an interview with The Bulletin, a publication of the AARP, Mr. Keillor said that he was planning to step down in two years, though he added the qualification that he had to find his replacement first.

He followed up with comments on Wednesday to The Associated Press, saying that he would turn 70 in 2013, “and that seems like a nice round number.”

Mr. Keillor has built a huge following for his idiosyncratic celebration of life in the upper Midwest that is broadcast live on Saturday nights by Minnesota Public Radio. The program, which began in 1974, is a mix of music and Mr. Keillor’s comic observations on life in his fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon. It has more than 4 million listeners a week and is carried on 590 public radio stations across the nation.
Asked by AARP about his thoughts on retirement, Mr. Keillor said, “When I was younger, I was all in favor of it, and now that I’m at that age, I’m not sure.” He added, “I sure don’t want to make a fool of myself and be singing romantic duets with 25-year-old women when I’m 75. But on the other hand, it’s so much fun. And in radio, the lighting is right.”

He told The Associated Press, “The reason to retire is to try to avoid embarrassment; you ought to do it before people are dropping big hints. You want to be the first to come up with the idea. You don’t want to wait until you trip and fall off the stage.”

Mr. Keillor’s decision comes at time when public radio is facing a number of public setbacks.

Last week, Vivian Schiller, the chief executive of National Public Radio, resigned after the release of a hidden video that showed an NPR fund-raiser making disparaging remarks about the Tea Party. The video was seized on by Congressional Republicans who view NPR as biased and have been trying to cut all federal funding for public radio and television.

Five months ago, NPR was criticized for firing Juan Williams, a longtime commentator, for remarks he made about Muslims on Fox News.